


The more, the merrier (works for cookies and for people)

by teakwood



Series: slice of our lives [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baking, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, POV Alternating, alternate universe - minato and kushina (and sakumo) live, only rated t for one line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24071275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teakwood/pseuds/teakwood
Summary: Iruka wants to bake with Naruto and Kakashi. Somehow they end up with seven kids in the living room. It works anyway.
Relationships: Gaara & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Nagato | Pain & Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Series: slice of our lives [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758826
Comments: 6
Kudos: 99





	The more, the merrier (works for cookies and for people)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever, so please be kind c:
> 
> (After the death of his parents, Iruka gets taken in by Kushina and Minato, because Kushina and his mom were friends. Naruto and gang are about six, Itachi and Nagato like ten/eleven and Iruka and Kakashi 16 and 17 respectively.)

Iruka longed to bake some sugar cookies like his mom used to make and Minato and Kushina being out in the city for the day gifted him the perfect opportunity for doing just that. While his guardians were good at cooking, they could not bake if their life depended on it and the closer the anniversary of his parents' death came, the more he missed them – so, comfort food. Also, Naruto liked to bake and he loved spending time with his little brother in all but blood. 

This, however, did not explain why seven children were running around in Minato and Kushina’s kitchen getting flour everywhere, but he was pretty sure it was Naruto’s fault. Not that Iruka minded, the Namikaze-Uzumaki house was large enough and he loved having children around.

The ring of the doorbell silenced them for a moment and Gaara, who was closest to the door, opened it. In came Kakashi, mask and eyepatch covering most of his face. “Yo”, he greeted with a small wave of his hand, hiding the shock of seeing so many people where he had expected two. “Kakashi!” Naruto all but jumped at the teenager, who caught him with faux exasperation. “We are baking cookies with Iruka! There are even some with ginger which are not sweet”, the little blond looked a bit disgusted at the thought of putting ginger in cookies, which weren’t even sweet! “because you don’t like sweet things.” Feeling a fuzzy warmth in his chest, Kakashi smiled at Iruka, who was counting the tiles on the kitchen floor, face tinged in soft pink. How considerate of him. “Maa, then we should start baking, shouldn’t we, Naruto?”

Still holding Naruto in his arms, he slipped out of his shoes and into the kitchen, depositing Naruto on one of the chairs around the table in the process. He then walked up to Iruka, leaning on the counter next to him, murmuring into his ear: “I was under the impression we would be spending time alone with Naruto, you didn’t tell me about there being…”, he swept the room with a gaze, “a bunch of children. How come?” Iruka let out a soft sigh. “You know Naruto. I told him we would bake, so he brought Gaara, Sasuke, and Sakura, who brought Ino. I think Itachi was only walking them home, but he likes baking, so he stuck around, too. I don’t know the red-haired boy, but he seems to be a friend of Itachi and I thought it was good seeing him socialize more.” Kakashi could only second that. The black-haired boy’s only friends seemed to be his older cousin Shisui and his little brother (and his fish Kisame, but that didn’t really count). Seeing him sitting on the couch, playing chess and talking to his new friend was a welcome sight. 

He was so caught up in musing over the older Uchiha that he hadn’t even notice Iruka moving away from him and towards the kids, who were getting impatient. “Okay everybody, before we can start you all have to wash your hands. Naruto can show you the bathroom.” He had barely finished before the five were racing each other through the hallways. His “use soap!” was more of a muttered afterthought. 

Walking towards the couch to ask Itachi and his friend to join them too, he was stopped by Kakashi putting a hand on his wrist and laying a finger to his clothed mouth, pointedly looking at the pair on the sofa. Kurama, the family cat, had found his way into Itachi’s lap, who was petting him absentmindedly. His friend tensed at the sight of the animal, looking a little afraid, but Itachi comforted him and took his hand into his own, letting Kurama sniff at it and, a moment later, nuzzle into it. “Look Nagato, he likes you. You didn’t have to worry.” He smiled kindly at his friend and the other boy, Nagato, smiled back, his eyes going wide as Kurama licked at his palm. Kakashi snapped a picture with his phone, the two of them were just too adorable. 

After the moment passed, Iruka approached them again. “Itachi, Nagato, do you want to help bake, too?” Sharing a short look, the boys nodded and trotted to the bathroom, not even having to be asked to wash hands.

“Come on, Kakashi, help me set up the table for the kids.” The silver-haired teen groaned. “I only wanted to annoy you while baking, not actually help you”, his pouting was evident even behind his mask. Iruka only rolled his eyes before giving him instructions on where to find the cookie cutters and the rolling pin and how to preheat the oven. Just as Iruka took the dough out of the fridge the gaggle of kids returned, sitting around the table. 

Taking a piece of the dough and the rolling pin he demonstrated the right way to roll the dough out, how important it was to do it evenly so that all the cookies would bake for the same amount of time, and to always put flour on the rolling pin so nothing would stick. It reminded him of his mother, who had taught him the same thing years ago and his smile became sad for a moment. He snapped out of it though as he felt a soft touch at the back of his hand, looking down at Kakashi’s thumb tracing circles on it.

“So, who wants which cookie cutter?” The room erupted in chaos. Naruto loudly declared his love for foxes and wanted, therefore, the fox-shaped one, Sasuke tried to look annoyed at his friend’s antics, but the fondness in his eyes betrayed him. The raven-haired boy had secured a snake-shaped one long before Iruka had asked; he maybe hadn’t shown it, but he was just as excited as his blond friend. In the meantime Itachi had settled for a cat-shaped cutter, delighted at finding his favorite animal among the possibilities. Nagato chose a frog as his cutter. Ino and Sakura were fighting about a flower-shaped one, but Kakashi swept in before it could escalate and produced two more flower-shaped cookie cutters and suggested they could share. Iruka shot him a thankful look from where he was crouching next to Gaara and Kakashi inwardly rolled his eyes at himself. So much for not helping. But well, if Iruka kept looking at him like that, maybe it wouldn’t be that troublesome. 

*

Gaara hadn’t chosen a cookie-cutter. He was still not used to being around many people or loud noises, courtesy of his rather isolated upbringing, and now he was just that. He loved having friends, he loved being around Naruto, but well, if that boy wasn’t Loud. So the prospect of having to choose a cookie cutter on top of coping with his surroundings was too much for him right now. He focused on his breathing, trying to save himself from getting overwhelmed by all the sensations around him, as a strong hand gently grabbed his own. “Hey Gaara, are you all right there?” Iruka’s warm brown eyes grounded him a little, letting him make a vague movement of his head, neither affirming nor denying the question. The older boy kneeling before him seemed to think for a moment, then smiled at him. “Why don’t you help me with the ginger cookies? It will be easier for me if I have someone to help me.” Logically Gaara knew that Iruka was fully capable of baking cookies on his own, but it was nice of him to offer him such an easy excuse to get out of his current situation. The long-haired teenager didn’t let go of his hand on their way to the kitchen, stopping only to tell Kakashi to have an eye on the other kids and help them if needed, especially when they started to transfer their cookies on a baking tray. Kakashi only sighed and nodded, he even put the book away which he had started reading after sorting out the argument between the girls. Gaara thought Iruka looked pretty smug about the whole ordeal but didn’t comment on it, still focused on the warm hand in his own.  
Iruka then showed him how to cream butter and sugar, letting Gaara mix all the ingredients and praising him that the dough was excellently combined. Not used to so much praise, Gaara bathed in the attention and even smiled at Iruka while the teenager explained to him how the cookies were made. First, he had to make a ball, then he needed to flatten that ball with a fork. It looked so easy when Iruka made them, but in the beginning, his cookies were far messier than Iruka’s perfect looking ones, but he slowly started to get the hang of it. They worked in silence for a few minutes until they had filled the baking tray. 

“Do you want to put it in the oven, Gaara?” The boy nodded shyly and under Iruka’s watchful eyes he put the tray in the oven, making sure not to hurt himself. He then was shown how to set the timer on the oven, Iruka’s smile never faltering throughout their entire time together. The kindness shown to him made Gaara strangely happy as he skipped back to the others at the table, sitting next to Naruto who gave his friend a Tanuki-shaped cookie cutter and made room to share his part of the rolled out dough.

*

After helping Ino and Sakura to put two trays of sugar cookies in the oven, Iruka sat down next to Kakashi, thighs brushing. “Nice handling of Gaara. Is he alright?” The brown-haired teen blushed ever so slightly at the compliment. “I think the shouting was too much for him. But look at him now, all good again.” He nudged Kakashi to look at Naruto and Gaara, who were both smiling brightly. Gaara was currently using the rolling pin, guided by Naruto’s cheerful shouts and Nagato’s and Itachi’s helpful advice. Sasuke was completely engrossed in cutting out perfectly shaped cookies, having seemingly forgotten his surroundings. Ino and Sakura were more chatting with each other than they were working, but Iruka couldn’t be bothered to mind. He rested his head on Kakashi’s shoulder, who leaned into the touch. “Tis nice, you know. Reminds me of Mom.” There was a small pang of sadness in his voice, barely there. Kakashi must have noticed anyway because he just hummed lowly and started rubbing comforting circles on his back. It was really nice. So nice, he almost missed the alarm set for the cookies.

With a low groan he stood up, checking if the cookies were done, which they were. He first called Sakura and Ino, helping them get the sugar cookies out, and then Gaara. The red-headed boy’s tongue peeked out of his mouth, a picture of concentration. When he set the tray down on the counter, he looked both proud and relieved. Iruka shot him a quick grin, which was reciprocated before the boy went to back the others.

Four more trays and all of the cookies were baked and left to cool (at least the ones that had survived the sweets-loving children). Naruto had started whining about being hungry, so Kakashi was resigned to making curry after the other kids had seconded the blond’s claim. While Kakashi was already cutting vegetables in the kitchen, Iruka had ushered the kids in the living room and onto the sofa, letting them watch Coraline all cuddled together. Trusting Itachi (and Nagato) to keep an eye on the smaller children, the teen returned to Kakashi. 

“Have I told you that your eyeliner is exceptionally stunning today? Makes you look really pretty.” They silver-haired sputtered at the compliment, before noticing Iruka’s shit-eating grin. “Oh, I see. Are you only telling me nice things to see me flustered? Bad, bad ‘Ruka.” The brunet laughed and started washing rice. “It actually looks nice, idiot. But I also enjoy you being all worked up about receiving a compliment.” Kakashi muttered something not understandable in response and the two teens worked in silence, the movie, and the gasps of the children as background noise. 

“Food should be finished in twenty minutes, should we join the kids?”, the older boy proposed. Iruka nodded, already on his way towards the sofa. He planted himself between Gaara and Sakura, who moved a little so Kakashi could sit next to the other teen. Not much time later he felt Gaara clinging to his leg, trying to hide behind Iruka, afraid of the film. Coraline was a truly terrifying children’s movie. He slowly petted the red-headed boy’s head, feeling him relax into the touch. The other kids had similar reactions, Ino and Sakura grasping both at Kakashi and each other, Sasuke clutching Itachi’s hand and trying very hard not to look afraid. Even Itachi and Nagato were pressed against each other seeking comfort. Only Naruto seemed unafraid, giggling wide-eyed at the strangest times. 

Together they survived the short time till dinner, Itachi and Nagato helping in setting the table while the younger kids discussed the film. For some reason or another Naruto was laughing like a mad man, but neither Kakashi nor Iruka wanted to investigate. The nine of them ate in peace (but naturally not in silence, something that was impossible in Naruto’s vicinity) and talked about this and that. There was a school festival coming up and everybody was excited about what to do. 

Glancing at the clock, Iruka noted how late it was. Itachi, after also realizing the time, made Sasuke say goodbye and left with his little brother and Nagato. Fugaku had given them a curfew, but they only lived down the block, so they were not that late yet. With those gone, the other kids also prepared to leave. Sakura and Ino had to walk home, too. The sun had not set yet and they lived in a good neighborhood just ten minutes from the Namikaze-Uzumaki home, so they went off, chatting happily. After a short call with Yashamaru, Gaara’s uncle with whom he was staying, and a short wait, the boy was picked up and he left with a shy smile and a wave. 

“Well Naruto, everyone’s gone, now you can help me with the dishes!” Iruka’s smile was bordering on evil and his little brother bolted out of the room with a shouted excuse. “Can I bolt, too?” Kakashi was grinning slightly at the scene in front of him. “No, ‘cause someone is helping me and I don’t see anyone else around.” Kakashi’s protest was more for appearance's sake than anything else. 

They had just finished cleaning up when the door could be heard and Minato and Kushina came in. “Hey, how was your shopping trip?”, Iruka asked, folding the dishtowel neatly and hanging it on the rack. Kushina gave him a kiss to the cheek and put her bags down. “Great, we found everything we looked for. We even got new aprons.” She leaned a little closer and whispered conspiratorially: “Minato insisted on matching pink ones.” At Kakashi’s snort, she whipped around and pointed at him with her index finger. “Don’t you laugh, we have one for you, too. You cook here so often, it only seemed fitting.” Now it was Iruka’s turn to look amused. “You know that I heard this entire conversation?” Minato rolled his eyes but ruffled Kakashi’s hair fondly. The teen looked scandalized. “Anyway, how was baking? Did Naruto cause any trouble?” “Other than inviting six more people? No, not really.” Kushina only wanted to know if they had at least fed them and relaxed at their affirmation. Everyone in the room was used the Naruto’s antics anyhow. 

“Does Sakumo want you home tonight or are you staying, ‘Kashi?” Minato asked while biting into a cookie. “Those are really good, Iruka”, he added, followed by shoving another cookie into his mouth. Kushina laughed at her husband. “I’m sleeping over. I already texted Dad”, Kakashi answered Minato’s initial question. Minato only nodded, but Kushina had to remark “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do and use a condom!”, which made the boys blush and excuse themselves. Now it was Minato’s turn to laugh at his wife. “They grow up so fast, don’t they? I still remember them running around on wobbly legs and now they are all responsible and in love.” The blond man looked a little melancholic at that thought, but a small slap on his arm brought him back to reality. “Let’s not get sentimental, love, and help me put this stuff away.”

*

Iruka and Kakashi laid next to each other in Iruka’s bed, hands just shy of touching. “Do you think our moms are watching over us now?” The brunet’s voice was very small, barely audible. Kakashi reached out a little and entangled their fingers. “I’m sure they do. I think they are very proud of the people we are becoming. Just think of you and Gaara today, I sure hope Kohari has seen that, you were great.” Iruka squeezed his hand for a moment, a smile in his voice. “Thanks, ‘Kashi.” “No problem, ‘Ruka.”

They fell asleep and if they woke up embracing each other, well, none of them would tell.

**Author's Note:**

> The day I know how to use commas in English is they day I die


End file.
